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| Photo: Courtesy of Crown Pub. |
For the last ten years, everyone political pundit, politician, and every day American has had there say about the Bush Administration. But finally former President George W. Bush has broken his long held silence and has delivered a weighty tome highlighting the fourteen most important decisions he made throughout his life. From quitting drinking to the 2008-2009 economic crisis and everything in between, his new memoir, Decision Points, provides an intimate and shockingly honest account of the last eight years from the very man who sat behind the resolute desk. Decision Points by George W. Bush landed on shelves everywhere on November 9th, 2010 but with class and the actual length of the book, its taken quite a while to read through it. But I am happy to finally provide Center Write Nation's In Review of this long awaited book.
Tales from Oval Office
Much like his father did, President George W. Bush decided not to write an extensive account of his entire life, instead he focused on the fourteen moments and decisions that defined his life. The nearly 500 page long memoir delves deep into each topic the president has decided to present, but perhaps what is most interesting is the moments he actually chose to write about. For example, his decision to devote an entire chapter to his record on fighting AIDS and other humanitarian efforts shows Americans a side of the former president that most never knew existed. The general public always thought that the compassion behind the president came from the Comforter in Chief, former First Lady Laura Bush, but this book challenges that assumption. His personal choice to write on, truly reveals where his passion resides.
One of the best chapters of the book, entitled "Day of Fire", deals with the tragedy of September 11th, 2001. This is perhaps the defining moment of the Bush Administration, because after that day nothing would be the same. Bush wrote that he always intended to avoid being labeled as a war president because he saw what it had done to his father. But when America itself came under attack, when two symbols of the United States, the World Trade Center ( a symbol of American Capitalism) and the pentagon (the symbol of U.S. military power), were struck with airlines full of innocent victims, all bets were off. Bush writes:
"September 11 redefined sacrifice. It redefined my duty. And it redefined my job. The story of that week is the key to understanding my presidency. There were so many decisions that followed, many of them controversial and complex. Yet after 9/11, I felt my responsibility was clear. For as long as I held office, I could never forget what happened to America that day. I would pour my heart and soul int protecting the country, whatever it took."
Bush said something very similar to this in his interview Matt Lauer, when he said that regardless of anything else, he feels his presidency was a success because no matter what, for the remaining seven years of his reign, the tragedy of 9/11 was never allowed to repeat itself.
This section of the book truly spoke to me, and in order for to understand why, consider the following. Imagine being the President of the United States, a pretty tough job even on the best day. But now imagine that you are the President during the first attack on our country since WWII. Imagine that, as president, you were powerless to stop the atrocity that unfolded that morning, first in New York City, then even closer to home at the Pentagon. Imagine having to give the order to shoot down any and all passenger airliners that did not respond to radio contact or ground immediately. When I imagined this, I was horrified. I would do everything in my power to stop anything remotely like this from ever happening again, and I would pursue those responsible to the ends of the earth. Then I realized that's pretty much what 'Dubya' did.
He also devotes a chapter each to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and also an entire chapter to the creation and implementation of the surge. This sections revealed a lot about how decisions were made and how intelligence, even within the best systems, can get crossed or lost, and leave even the President with faulty or missing information. Take for example the weapons of mass destruction that were reported to be in Saddam Hussein's possession. Every international agency agreed that Iraq possessed these weapons. The United States Congress, which later turned on the President, read the same information that Bush had and came to the same conclusion. Even Senator John Kerry, Bush's 2008 opponent, voted to invade Iraq because he believed they possessed these terrible weapons.
The Review
Decision Points by George W. Bush was an interesting read and was shockingly well written. For a president who's intelligence was questioned daily and who was famous for his speaking gaffes and slip ups, the reader can be truly swayed by his writing skill. It is not perfect, but then again, it is eloquent in all the right places. Sometimes it is his very simplicity that hits home, the pure logic of his writing, and his conversational style allows for an intimate connection between reader and author. The reader truly feels like he is picking the brain of our former president. The In Review rating for George W. Bush's memoir, Decision Points, is a four out of five stars. The book is well written and easy to read, however, there are times when his facts conflict with general knowledge. The book effectively changed my view about somethings about his president but didn't budge me on others. It is a fascinating read and I encourage political and history buffs everywhere to pick up this great book.
Later,
Cody
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